lovejoy



R. M. LOVEJOY SHOCK ABSORBER ARM AND CONNECTION May 18 1926' Filed June5. 1922 InVzn t0r- Ralph MLovq/oy B -MwzM Aflorneys.

Patented May 18, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RALPH M. LOVEJ'OY, OF MEREDITH, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

SHOCK-ABSORBER ARM AND CONNECTION.

Application filed June 5, 1922. Serial No. 565,885.

This invention relates to improvements in shock absorber arms andconnections and In that construction the shock absorber arm isillustrated connected by a stud to the end of a rock shaft which extendsthrough the shock absorber casing and is provided within the casing withan arm which is connected to the piston oi the shock absorber. Asdisclosed in the aforesaid patent a separate clamp and guide tor thestrap is connected to the tree end ot the arm.

In the present construction the arm is provided with an integral flatstrap-receiving seat which merges into a curved strap-flexing endportion. Means are provided for clamping the strap upon the seat and thestrap passes therefrom over the strap flele ing portion. By reason of"this construction a relatively inexpensive and more permanentconstruction is provided than that disclosed in my patent aforesaid.

A. further object oi the invention is to providea novel means torpreventing creepinp; oi. the strap and consequent tearing by the claniping i'neans.

A further and important object oi the invention is to provide means forpreventing tie sprczulinn oi the strap as it clam ed upon the srap-receiving seat.

A further object oi the invention is to provide a novel term ofclampingdevice which is more rigidly and permanently connected to theshock absorber arm and which comprises a minimum number of parts.

A further feature of the invention consists in providing a shockabsorber arm with an integral roclr shaiit and also with an integralstrapreeeivin seat and sti'apdlexing means.

Other objects and :l'eatures of the invention will more fullyappear fromthe following description and accompanying drawing and will be pointedout in the claims.

A preferred embodiment of the invention trated in my patent aforesaid.

In the drawing:

141g. 1 1s a perspective view or a pretterred (form of shock absorberarm showing also in perspective the members of the clamping mechanismand a portion of the strap in superimposed unassembled position;

2 2, Fig. 1, showing in assembled position the shoclrabsorber arm, strapand clamp mg; means; Fig. 3 is an underneath perspective view ot apreterred form of clamping plate.

The shock absorber arm illustrated in the accon'ipaniyiup; drawing isparticularly adapted tonnes in a hydraulic shock absorbcr of thecliaraeter disclosed in my prior patent aforesaid and comprises an arm 1of suitable length and preferably suitably curved to permit properassemblage oi? the shock absorber and its connection upon the vehicletowhich it is adapted, it being understood that the length, shape andcurvature of the arm may be varied in accordance with the particulartype of vehicle to which it is adapted. a

The shock absorber arm 1 is provided at one end with a laterallyextending integral his. 2 is a vertical sectional view on plane rockshaft 9, which preferably is provided The central portion oil thestrap-receiving seat: is provided with a cyliin'lrieal. a 'ierl'ure ('3having; a screw threaded well adapted to receive and engage the end oi?a stud i. The stud '7 desirably passes through the shock absorber armand its end 8 is riveted firmly against the under face of the armthereby {owning a peri'l'iai'ient and rigid connection with the arm bothby reason of the screw threaded engagenu-znt oi. the stud with the armand the riveted end or head of the stud.

The strap-receivinp, seat desirably is provided with longitudinallyextending; ribs 9 and 10 which preferably are located at the margins oithe scat. Desirably the step ii ll aperture 13 in the strap.

receivin seat is provided with a plurality of transversely extendingribs 11 which, as illustrated herein, extend across the seat between themarginal ribs 9'and10. The form of the transverse ribs may be varied asthe function oi these ribs or projections is to indent and engage theface of the strap in such a manner as to prevent it from slipping'or'creeping upon the seat.

The strap 12, which "forms the connection from the end'o'f the shockabsorber arm to the axle or spring of the vehicle, may be of anysuitable material and preferably presents parallelflat surfaces. Thestrap 12 is provided near one end with an aperture 18 adapted to receivethe stud 7, the aperture being placed at a suiiicient distance fromtheend of the stud to enable the strap to extendthepntirelength of theseat 4.

Any suitable means may be provided for clamping the strap upon thestrap-receiving seat A convenient means which is illustratedhereincomprises a clamping plate 1 L preferably of rectangular 'formcorresponding substantially in shape and area to the 'shapeand area ofthe clampa'eceiving seat. The'under face of the clamping plate Ll isprovided with a series of projections, preferably transversely extendingribs 15, and is also desirably provided with longitudinally extending,preferably -marginal, ribs 16 and 17 complementary to the ribs 9 and 10.The clamping plate desirably also is provided withsimilar end ribs 18and 19.

Desirably the clamping plate has an upwardly-extending boss 20 having adownwardly diverging inner wall 21 adapted to permit a slight tilting ofthe clampingplate relatively to the seat in'event of unevenness ot thethickness of the strap. The clamping plate is forced into clampingengagement by a nut'22 upon the stud -7.

' In assembling the devi'cethe stud 7 is first screwed-through theaperture 6 and its end hammered down to form a head 8. The

strap is then applied to the strap seat by thrusting the stud 7 throughthe punched The clamping plate is then mopliedand forced down upon thestrap by the nut 22. By reason of the elasticity of the strap it isunnecessaryto interpose a. loclr washer between the nut 22 and the boss20 of the clamping plate or to use a lock nut upon the stud 7.

lVhen the clamping plate is forced into clamping position theprojections or ribs 11 and-15 upon the strap-receiving seat and theclaniping plate are embedded into the material of the strap, while thelongitudinal marginal edges or ribs 9 and 10 upon the strap receivingseat, and 16 and 17 upon the clamping plate prevent lateral spreading ofthe strap. All oi these ribs or projections which grip the strap serveto reduce the strain upon the stud and to prevent the strap with therock from being torn by the stud. The curved end portion 5 of the armserves to prevent the strap from being bent abruptly and therebypreventschaiing or shearing of the strap by the end of the shockabsorber arm.

The shock absorber arm. illustrated heroin constitutes a distinctimprovement over the shock absorber arm illustrated in my prior patentin that the arm 1 is formed inte ral. shaft 2 and also in that its endis formed to present a strap-receiving sent terminating in a. curvedstrapilexing end portion. Qhe construction is such that the arm can becompletely constructed. by drop forging and thereby enables theproi'luction of a more uniform and rigid construction. l urtherinore,the number oi nccessa 11y parts isreduced and a cheaper, but morec'fi'ective, construction provided.

It will be understood that the embodiment of the invention disclosedherein is i llustrative and not restrictive and that variousmodifications in form, construction and arrangement of parts may be madewithin the spirit and scope of the claims.

Having thus described my invention, wha 1 claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A shock absorber connection comprising an arm having an integrallatstrap-receiving seat provided with transverse ribs and merging into asmooth curved strapfleXing end portion, a clamping plate huvin gtransverse ribs complementary to the ribs onsaid strap-receivingseat-and means or clamping said plate upon said arm with a sl raptherebetwcen.

2. A shock absorber connection comprising an arm having an integral fiatstrapreceiving seat provided with strap-engaging projections and merginginto a smooth curved strap-flexing end portion, a clamping platecomplementary to the said clan'ip-receiving seat and means for clampingsaid plate upon said seat with the strap interposed therebetween A shockabsorber connection comprising an arm having a flat strap-receiving seatprovided with longitudinally extending marginal ribs and transverse ribsand merging into a smooth curved strap-flexing end oortion, a clampingplate having longitudinally extending marginal ribs and trans verse ribscomplementary to the ribs in said strapreceiving seat and means forforcing said clamping plate toward said strap-receiving seat with astrap interposed therebetween.

l. A shock absorber connection comprising an arm having an integralstrap-receiv ing seat, a stud extending upwardly from said seat adaptedto pass through an aperture in the strap, a clan'i 'iing plate having ahollow boss surrounding said stud, the wall .of the aperture oi saidboss diverging downwerdly to permit tilting of the plate and a not onsaid stud acting to clamp the clmnping plate upon the strap-receivingsent with the strap therebetween.

5. A shock absorber connection co1nprising an arm having at one end 21.laterally ex tending integral rock shaft and at the other end anintegral flattened portion presenting a transversely ribbedstrep-receiving; sent merging into e smooth curved Strep-flexing 10 endportion and means for elml'qging the strap upon said seat.

In testimony whereof I have signed my nine to this specification.

RALPH M. LOVEJOY.

